Keeping up with the Jonesers- Can You?

Santa Barbara Film Fest Showcases Director Craig Borders’ Dramedy:

Keeping up with the Jonesers- Can You?

Intensity. Relentless. Yet “based on a true story,” which brings an element of shock and intrigue. This is the outcome of Craig Borders festival favorite “Keeping Up With the Jonesers.” Centered on one man’s plight to reap benefits of drug dealing, Jackson Mittleman (Branden Morgan, “In Enemy Hands”) gets in way over his head.

The production itself holds an impressive flair in its cinematography (Jefferson T. Jones), editing (Todd Lane), and production design (John Frazier). It would be great to see this film win a festival award for one of the aforementioned categories. As director and co-writer (with Paul Zies), Craig Borders delves into crafty personas all wanting the same thing from and for Mittleman, until the end, naturally. It is often challenging to formulate intriguing characters in a short film, but Borders pulls it off. The work of “Jonesers” crew amassed with winner of best musical score (Tiff Cox, Jeremy Grody, Kut Throat) at Action on Film Festival in Long Beach, California. The film also received nominations for best picture and best director. Its recent 2006 premiere at Santa Barbara’s International Film Festival proved a success. Amidst a precarious subject as drugs, the film provides a hint of nostalgia for Southern California residents and admirers. The film takes place in Isla Vista, California, home to the University of California Santa Barbara, the directors’ alma mater. Ocean ‘scapes and long highway drives provide immediate contrast to Mittleman’s life of divulgence and risk. Follow up with the website for up coming screenings (www.keepingupwiththejonesers.com).

Michelle Paster michelle@partialreality.comMichelle is a writer for Film & Video Magazine, The OC Metro, amongst other and a photojournalist for filmfestivals.com and Village Voices’ Phoenix New Times. She works in film and television production as an assistant editor

"Agencies should make sure that staff and aid recipients have channels to safely report suspected abuses. If people feel intimidated or that they are risking their job in reporting abuses, this presents a serious disincentive.

a short film, but Borders pulls it off.
The work of “Jonesers” crew amassed with winner of best musical score (Tiff Cox, Jeremy Grody, Kut Throat) at Action on Film Festival in Long Beach, California. The film also received nominations for best picture and best director. Its recent 2006 premiere at Santa Barbara’s International Film Festival proved a success. Amidst a precarious subject as drugs, the film provides a hint of nostalgia for Southern California residents and admirers.

The film also received nominations for best picture and best director. Its recent 2006 premiere at Santa Barbara’s International Film Festival proved a success. Amidst a precarious subject as drugs, the film provides a hint of nostalgia for Southern California residents and admirers. The film takes place in Isla Vista, California, home to the University of California Santa Barbara, the directors’ alma mater.